As the clock struck six on a blustery evening in an elite South Melbourne apartment block, the foyer slowly filled with a motley mix of aged men and women. From white sports coats (but no carnations) and a mix of stylish upmarket women’s dress, the group grew slowly towards its expected mid-twenty until the final male and his American guest arrived.
The group shifted excitedly to the building’s board room for capapes, sparkling wine and catch-up conversation until it was muted by the moment of choosing table groups for evening meal. Guess-who’s-coming-to-dinner began with a selection of couples per room and then the remaining singles were allocated to repeated rounds of applause. The 40 per cent of males, almost inevitably accompanying the female partners, joined the shift towards the lifts, leaving their unwashed glasses in the sink to be attended to later.
From room to room the meals and wines were enthusiastically imbibed as conversations added sparkle to the evening. From the advantages of late entry into real-estate business to the thrill of writing famous films or the challenge of penning publishable poetry, discussion raged through dinner and into the evening.
Thanks to Sandy M, Susan B and Pam G (pictured) for being magnificent hostesses and making their wonderful apartments available for the evening.
